By Gavin Worley, PA Sport

The rain returned to Heaton Park on Sunday but it could not spoil a thrilling men's pairs final which was won by Scotland's George Sneddon and Alex Marshall.

After a tense, intriguing battle, England duo Dean Morgan and Stephen Farish held a slender one-shot lead going into the 15th and last end.

But the Scots have shown this week they never know when they are beaten. They held their nerve in front of a large crowd to take the last end by three shots and secure a 12-10 victory.

Although nothing like the thunderstorm which forced competitors to run for cover on Tuesday, both teams had to battle the elements in the second half of the match when heavy showers hit Manchester.

However, it was England who settled quickly before the rain arrived and they established a 5-1 lead in the fifth end.

The hosts extended their advantage to five shots in the seventh before Scotland slowly started to find their rhythm.

They moved ahead for the first time in the match in the 12th end, but England responded by picking up three shots in the next two.

It all came down to the final end and Scotland showed coolness under pressure to snatch victory and extend their unbeaten run to 23 games.

Marshall, who has enjoyed success at both the world outdoor and indoor championships, was understandably delighted.

"I would probably say that I'd rather win a Commonwealth Games medal than a world bowls medal," said the Edinburgh player.

"They are all prized possessions to me, but to get your first medal at the Commonwealth Games, especially a gold, is absolutely fantastic."

England skip Farish remained upbeat despite having to settle for silver, and said: "We feel very pleased that we have done so well.

"We were drawn in a tough section and would have been happy to get bronze - but we've done better than that. We got ourselves into the final and were only just beaten."

Northern Ireland's Jeremy Henry failed in his bid for gold in the men's singles final, slipping to a 21-15 defeat to Robert John Donnelly of South Africa.

Henry was first out of the blocks and quickly established a 5-1 lead in the third end. However, Donnelly moved ahead for the first time in the 11th and never looked back.

"The better man won today," said Henry. "I got off to a good start but he played a lot of big shots and ground me down. I didn't play well and the better man won.

"It would have been nice to have won it without losing a game, but it was just a game too far for me in the end."

Wales' Robert Weale and Mike Kernaghan of New Zealand, who lost in the semi-finals, won bronze.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Siti Zalina of Malaysia won gold in the women's singles with a 21-19 win over Australian Karen Murphy.

Zalina said: "I knew I could do it. I told myself last night I could win and I feel great."

New Zealand proved too strong for South Africa and sealed a 22-12 success in the women's pairs final. England duo Amy Gowshall and Lynne Whitehead were guaranteed bronze after losing in the semis.